Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Glamping It Up

DEBORAH CROMBIE: So twenty-five years ago today, my hubby and I got married in a VERY small ceremony--actually in the living room of the justice of the peace, who wore cut-off jeans under her robes. We have no formal wedding photos, because we took what we thought would be our "official" wedding photos with my camera, which later met with a misadventure (getting to that.) We had lunch at a local steak house, then set off for our honeymoon at an historic ranch B and B in the Texas Hill Country.

 
We loved Moses Hughes Ranch, and its owners, with whom we immediately became friends. But on that first day, enjoying the ranch's wonderful patio with its swarms of hummingbirds, we left my camera on the patio table. (This being 1994, when one didn't carry cell phones everywhere.) Of course, it poured that night. The few photos we have are from our best man's camera. 

We went back to Moses Hughes for our anniversary for a few years, until our friends closed it as a B and B, and then the anniversary trips sort of fell by the wayside.

But here we are, on the big occasion twenty-five years later, so what to do? Rick cares nothing about fancy hotels or restaurants, and he doesn't like to leave the dogs. So I started looking for somewhere we might get away for a couple of days, with pups, and this is what I found.



We are glamping!

In a tent--a very fancy tent, actually imported from Africa--on the middle of a working cattle ranch, on the Brazos River. AND they allow dogs!

Here's the living room--



The chairs overlooking the river--


And the wood-fired hot tub!



There is air conditioning and heating, although I don't think we'll need either, and a very glam shower.

Two days of nature and not much work--sounds like bliss!

So, REDs and readers, who's gone glamping, from a fancy tent to a real safari? And if not, would you want to?



54 comments:

  1. That is one amazing tent!

    I’ve been camping [it’s cold in the desert, even in the summer, and the rocky ground is really hard . . . but I’m a champ at cooking bacon and pancakes on the camp stove!]
    I do believe I could be persuaded to give glamping a try . . . .

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    1. Joan, we'll have a propane grill, with cast iron skillets. I didn't think about pancakes!

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    2. There's always the Petro truck stop--pancakes 24/7.

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    3. Pancakes are easy on a camp stove and filling for the Little Ones . . . .

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  2. That is so very cool, Debs. And, you may have helped me figure out what sort of vacation my husband and I can take with our senior Brittany Spaniel that we don't want to leave with anyone. I'm going to have to check for glamping sites near us, or not too far away. I did see that some of the National Parks have a glamping type of arrangement in the form of covered wagons (I'm pretty sure that's right). Can you fish at your glamping place, Debs? I know hubby would like that.

    So sorry about your wedding pictures. We had a picture mishap at our wedding, too. We didn't want to hurt my brother-in-law's (my sister's husband) feelings because he was rather good with a camera, so we hired him to do the majority of the wedding pics. Thanks goodness my mother hired the local photography experts to come in and take pictures of my husband and me for an official wedding photo, or we would only have candid shots from others. My brother-in-law's fancy camera wasn't working, so we had no wedding party photos. Again, I'm thankful that we decided to have the official wedding pic taken by the local photographer at the church.

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    1. Kathy, there is a site called Glamping Hub, but nothing I saw looked nearly as nice as our tent, which has been written up in national magazines.

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  3. Happy anniversary! I have never been glamping, but that looks awesome.

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  4. I just realized that I didn't say the following, Debs. Happy Anniversary to you and Rick!

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  5. That looks lovely! I grew up tent camping, and took my kids when they were younger. Now? A bit of glamping sounds fun. I stayed in an eco-lodge in St. John thirty-five years ago that was fabulous - sort of open air, sort of glamping, perched on a hillside above a cove.

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  6. Congratulations Debs and Rick! that looks heavenly--a lot like the tent we stayed in in India when we went to see the tigers. I had a photo mishap for my first wedding--the photographer was also a relative Kathy--and he didn't show up. Only candids from that event. I took photos for a dear friend's wedding too, and sent them off in the mail to be developed. Only the torn envelop came back. I was beginning to think no photos=doomed marriage, but thank heavens you've broken the streak!!

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    1. Lucy- If you're keeping a tally...I fall on the no-photo-doomed side of the ledger. Just saying.

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  7. Happy Anniversary!
    I have been camping before and the best was many years ago on an island all to ourselves in Lake George. Glamping sounds like it would be more my style nowadays. But what sort of bathroom facilities are there? As someone who gets up several times during the night this is important to know.

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    1. The tent has a bathroom with a very pretty glass shower. Trudging to the woods, or public toilet in the middle of the night is not my idea of fun, either!

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  8. I see a theme emerging here: hire a real photographer!

    I'm not a camping enthusiast, and I'll happily leave my hound pack with a trusted dog-sitter, so I'm all about the luxe hotels when I travel, but a "tent" like that might tempt me. Although I might pick a different destination. The countryside out where Deb is glamping is really quiet and beautiful. I know this because I lived about five miles up the road from there for 25 years, which makes it not nearly as exotic as it might otherwise be for me. Sort of like camping in the back yard, actually.

    But you will have a great time, Deb, so happy anniversary to you and Rick! And happy country rambles to Dax and Jasmine. (And, seriously, they do have Starbucks out there in the boonies, so you can get internet access. The county isn't entirely dry now, so you can find wine. Septic systems work fine. You'll love it.)

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    1. Gigi, you have to admit it is pretty country, though.

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    2. It is very beautiful, and when I lived out there I loved it with my whole heart.

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  9. You are such adventurers! That is fabulous… And we cannot wait to hear all about it. Happy anniversary! And oh, for me? I’m not sure :-) I am the Glamping type. But yay! It will be fun to hear about .....

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  10. My husband and I used to do a lot of real camping, though we have drifted away from it with age. I'm still willing to camp, but I need an air mattress or cot and decent bathroom facilities very nearby. Because I do enjoy regular camping, I'm less sure if I'd like glamping -- somehow, it seems not as good as true camping in some ways and not as good as a nice hotel room in others. But I definitely get needing a place where the dogs can come, too -- that's a consideration we don't have.

    Once again, happy anniversary, Deb and Rick! Enjoy your time away!!!!!

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  11. Channeling your inner Isak Dinesen? Happy Anniversary! Glamping with the dogs will be a marvelous adventure.

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    1. Definitely channeling my inner Isak. But instead of lions and giraffes, we will see...cows. And probably deer.

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  12. I did stay, once, in something similar in Yosemite. It was a tent village, nothing as fancy as yours, but it did have real beds with real mattresses.

    My idea of roughing it is staying at a Motel Six. Are those still around? There is no way I am going to sleep on the ground, in a tent, with my food safely stored away from bears but my body right out there for a tasty snack, protected only by a canvas tent. This is completely unreasonable.

    Back in the day I did do a little camping. I never figured out how it could be fun to move everything I did in a modern kitchen out under a tree with no running water. Seriously.

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    1. And Happy Anniversary my dear. 25 years is a long time, a quarter of a century, the majority of all the years of your life to date. I think this will last! xox

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    2. This place has a lovely queen-sized bed, Ann. No hardship here. Real camping is not my idea of a vacation.

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  13. Ann, we took the kids to Yosemite once, and stayed in the tent village. It was fun, except for the car alarms going off all night, thanks to bears trying to get in.

    We got married in Vegas, with only my aunt, who stood up for us, and her friend who drove up with her from Phoenix. Aunt Rosie took photos of us in our three-piece suit and silk sheath dress with blazer. I wish that dress still fit.

    A few years ago we did go on safari to Tanzania, as I've mentioned before. It was definitely glamping, with exotic themes to every "tent", including the one with a gigantic carved bathtub with a pelican neck and head, and another with carved giraffe heads on the bedposts and the chair backs. The best was at LaMai, close to the Kenyan border, high up on a rocky hill, with a magnificent view of the valley. There was an open-air shower and a massive four-poster bed. One side of the room was open, with only screens, so the down duvet was blissfully welcome in the chilly night.

    Have a wonderful trip, Debs and Rick. And may you have many more happy years together!

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    1. Thanks, Karen! I envy you that trip to Africa--that's always been on my bucket list.

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    2. Karen, I've done the tent village at Yosemite-- definitely not glamping! You have to walk miles to the bathroomd and freezing cold at night!

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    3. Rhys, you're so right! No eiderdown duvets, that's for sure.

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  14. Happy Anniversary Deb and Rick! Enjoy your time away with your dear pups! It looks so peaceful.
    I have been camping once, only once, with a toddler and a husband. The toddler was the better traveling companion.
    Now I'm all about finding the perfect hotel, not too fancy, not too plain, just right. Near a beach, please.

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  15. That looks wonderful! Felicitations <3

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  16. Happy anniversary!

    I used to be all for camping - like a tent, sleeping on the ground, no or cold shower, etc. Now, I am much attached to modern amenities like running water, so yeah, glamping sounds good to me.

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  17. On our trip to Denali, my sister and I stayed in a very sweet little cabin. Their was no dining in the park, but shuttle service was available to restaurants very nearby. No private vehicles were allowed either, so it was so quiet. I'm not sure about pets . . . might not have been wise with all the bears.

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  18. My concession to glamping was to upgrade to a thicker self-inflating air mattress on our Algonquuin Park canoe trip last year. Heavenly. Decadent.

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  19. Very nice! And happy 25th! I'm not much of a camping enthusiast, but I do love me some Texas Hill Country. By the way, if you want a recommendation for a very nice place to stay near Fredericksburg (not glamping, but B&B), I can point you to Rose Hill Manor. It's actually outside of Stonewall near the Johnson Ranch. We've stayed there several times and it is very, very nice. Not pretentious though. Don't know about puppies and their policy on that.

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  20. Happy Anniversary, Debs!!! Glamping - I didn't even know that was a thing and now I want to go, too!

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  21. Now that's my idea of camping! Except for building the fire to get the hot tub heated... Years ago I put my foot down about camping (I get to cook, wash dishes, sleep on the ground, and when it rains get dripped on... seriously?) Happy anniversary, Debs!

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  22. Thanks for all the good wishes, everyone! I'm sure I'll be posting photos. I will hopefully have Internet! The tent's kitchenette has a fridge, sink, a coffeemaker, and a microwave, and out on the deck is a big propane grill. Rick says the wood-fired hot tub will be too much trouble, but I'm determined to try it. We'll see. Oh, and there is a fire pit, wood provided, and a waterfall. So all the benefits of camping with none of the hard parts! I'm just hoping that Jasmine doesn't keep us awake all night barking at the owls, which she does at home if we leave the windows open. So looking forward to the peace and quiet of the country.

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  23. Happy Anniversary, and many more years together!

    I have no desire to do any sort of camping, although I don’t mind hearing stories of someone else’s camping trip. Glamping? I don’t think so. But let us know about it!

    DebRo

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  24. Only way my father would GO on vacation was camping which my mother did not like so we got pup tents. Last time I did anything close to camping was sleeping in a camper shell at a state park, facilities were down a short trail and no hot water during the off season. Your trip sounds fabulous and taking your dogs keeps everyone happy. Enjoy your time and happy anniversary.

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  25. Ive been dying to go glamping ( which auto correct keeps changing) but alas my very proper British husband likes civilization , hates bugs .

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    1. Rhys, this looks pretty civilized. Might be worth a trip to Texas! Although I'm sure there are some fabulous glamping spots in California.

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  26. Happy Anniversary, y'all!

    I grew up going to summer camp - cabins full of girls, bunk beds, and screens in various stages of rust and disintegration. I remember the year we upgraded from outhouses to (still outside) flush toilets! And during the term, each unit would go on a camp out (because we weren't being primitive enough already). That involved traveling on horseback or canoe and sleeping on the ground, cooking on a fire, and digging a latrine. Middle Tennessee summers are very hot and humid, and sleeping in a sleeping bag, which you have to do in order not to be carried away by the mosquitos, is miserable. I'm pretty sure that if I were to go on-the-ground-camping now, I would not be able to get up in the morning without a crane or something. So glamping sounds great and I would love to be able to take the dogs instead of leaving them behind! I hope y'all have a great trip!

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  27. Happy Anniversary! I wondered what "glamping" meant. LOL. Now I know because of your beautiful post. I love the photo of you and Rick. Bummer about the camera, though I am glad a friend took a photo :-) . I've never gone glamping. Isn't it great that you can bring the dogs? There are some hotels and bed &breakfast that allow dogs these days.

    Have a wonderful trip!

    Diana

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    1. Thanks, Diana! Lots of hotels and B and B's that allow dogs have weight restrictions, which this place does not. And I must say that our big girls are much better behaved than many small dogs, and that they are absolutely, perfectly house-trained!

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    2. Perhaps they want smaller dogs because the humans can pick them up ? Good to know.

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  28. Happy Anniversary! We've been camping but not glamping. I have a feeling our camping days are done with after the last, disastrous time. Would I want to glamp? Only on an African safari.

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  29. Autocorrected me, I typed "glamp"

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  30. Happy Anniversary! Hope you have a wonderful trip! I went camping a lot as a kid. Glamping sounds like it would be more my style now.

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  31. Deborah...What a lovely spot for your Silver Anniversary. I went sort of semi-glamping on a photo safari in Kenya. It was quite nice with comfortable with nice beds and a real toilet and shower, but nearly as luxurious as yours. Or maybe it was the heavily armed guards we had to signal to escort us to the dining tent for dinner because it was dark and our camp was right on the side of the Masai Mara River and hippos were known to leave the river and wander near the tents and are apparently the most dangerous animal in Africa. Governors’ Camp, maybe you know of it.

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  32. Sorry...meant to say NOT nearly as luxurious as yours.

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  33. We were dead broke when we got married so our honeymoon was camping. We had a Pontiac T1000. Not really big. We camped from Mystic Port up the coast to Bar Harbor. It was lovely. Can't imagine sleeping on the ground anymore. Glamping sounds perfect.and can bring the dog.

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  34. No glamping experience but my son, DIL and grands are glamping this summer during vacation in western US so I’ll get their impressions. Looks marvelous, Debs!

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